


Wishful Thinking

by Listenerofshadows



Series: Sander Sides One-Shots [3]
Category: Sander Sides, Thomas Sanders, Thomas Sanders (Video Blogging RPF) - Fandom, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders - Freeform, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders - Freeform, Gen, He wears a necktie, Hurt/Comfort, It's not like he wants to believe in wishes or anything baka!, Logan is a serious man who conducts serious experiments, Logan is serious, Logic | Logan Sanders - Freeform, Morality | Patton Sanders - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-03-23 17:20:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13792464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Listenerofshadows/pseuds/Listenerofshadows
Summary: “Wishes are illogical, and it’s not befitting for him to indulge in it. But this is an experiment; nothing more and nothing less. Logan likes conducting experiments to prove the validity of facts and that’s all there is to the matter.” / In which Logan folds a thousand paper cranes to see if good luck will follow suit.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is based off a headcanon post from @seas-space-and-stardust on Tumblr. All credit for the idea goes to them and the anon who requested the headcanon. This was a lotta fun to write, and I hope you guys enjoy it!

There’s a jar in Logan’s room. It’s a simple oval-shaped glass jar with a wooden lid. The jar sits on his bed-stand, two inches from the left of his lamp. In it, there is approximately nine-hundred and thirty-two paper cranes. Logan knows the exact number because he counts them every night before he goes to bed.

He started the experiment a few weeks ago, receiving the idea for it from Patton.The conversation sparked during one of the sides’ jaunts out to Roman’s dreamscape. The four of them nestled together under the stars after a long day of adventures.

Logan was squished between Roman and Patton, with Virgil located on the other side of Patton, curled up in the nook of his arm. Roman and Virgil long since dozed off when a light brilliantly shot across the sky.

“Hey look it’s a shooting star!” Patton used his free arm to point excitedly up at the sky.

Logan frowned, “Well, actually that’s a misnomer. They’re really meteoroids burning up in the Earth’s atmosphere.”

“Aw, they’re still pretty to watch though!” Patton grinned, “Quick! Make a wish before it disappears!”

“I don’t understand how a burning piece of rock is supposed to grant me a wish it’s–illogical.”

Logan should have just shut his mouth and appeased Patton’s whims, but he can’t. He’s the logical side, the Realist. He likes everything to make sense, and making wishes–doesn’t make sense. But he knows Patton can’t help himself just as much as he can’t.

Instead of being hurt, Patton just laughed.

“But that’s the fun in making wishes. They don’t have to be logical.” Patton explained.

“What…did you wish?” Logan arched an eyebrow, expecting something nonsensical to flow out of Patton’s lips.

“I can’t tell you or it won’t come true.” Patton winked.

After that nonsense, Logan couldn’t get the idea of wishes out of his head. Is he wrong to denounce wishes as quickly as he does? Perhaps he should run an experiment. It’s his job to discern fantasy from fact, after all.

He rifles through his library, pulling out any information he has on wishes. It has to be something he can control to an extent, Logan rationalizes. Shooting stars and gold at the end of rainbows is hard to control on his end. While he could ask Roman to artificially create those phenomenons, it would be just that; fake.

He’s scraping at the bottom of the barrel when he comes across the myth about paper cranes. Legend has it that if someone folds one thousand paper cranes, they’ll be granted a wish. It’s perfect for his needs–he can conduct this experiment in the safety of his room and no one will the wiser.

Wishes are illogical, and it’s not befitting for him to indulge in it. But this is an experiment; nothing more and nothing less. Logan likes conducting experiments to prove the validity of facts and that’s all there is to it. That’s the only reason he gets excited when he gets closer to achieving the goal. If he finds enjoyment in crafting the cranes, it’s only because the repetitive motions are comforting. He can always count on the final product to be a crane and never anything else.

It is because of these factors, that he eagerly flees to his room after an exhausting, frustrating day. His throat is hoarse from arguing, and his hair is messy but all he cares about is folding cranes and naively hoping that’ll solve their current problems.

Except, when he enters his room, the jar is missing from its place and he suppresses the urge to let out a frustrated yell. He instead takes a deep breath and forces himself to think rationally. He has no need to be upset about a missing glass jar full of paper cranes.

There has to be a logical explanation for its’ disappearance. Perhaps he simply misplaced somewhere else in his room. He ransacks his room, top to bottom. He searches the most illogical places, because logically lost things always end up in the least expected places.

It’s something Thomas’ mother always remarked, and it’s always held true. Except when Roman finds him a few hours later, it’s still missing.

“Hey, Logan! Dinner’s almost ready–” Roman’s smile falters, taking in the chaos of Logan’s once pristine room, “what’s going on?”

“N-nothing,” Logan adjusts his glasses, “I was simply searching for something I lost.”

With a simple snap, everything flies back into place at his command. He stares at his nightstand, expecting that jar to appear any moment.

“Logan–”  
“You said dinner was almost ready, correct?” He interrupts, “We should go if we don’t wish to arrive late.”

The dreaded word slips out of his tongue, and he flinches. Logan hurries out of his room and tries to dispel the image of the empty nightstand out of his mind.

Dinner is a tense affair. Few words are uttered, even by Patton. Everyone is still strained from the events of the day. Tried hard as they might to work together on things, sometimes it simply wasn’t meant to be. They all had their functions to serve, and they couldn’t always help it when they clashed.

It didn’t mean it was the end of the world when it happened. They still went through charades like having food together to let each other know they weren’t personally upset with one another.

Throughout the meal, Logan catches Roman glancing at him before the Prince guiltily averts his eyes elsewhere. Logan theorizes the creative side is concerned about Logan’s behavior in his room. Logan thinks he has a right to be concerned about the logical side acting irrationally.

Logan is the first to excuse himself from the others’ presences. He’s halfway down the hall when someone calls out for him to stop. It’s Roman, and he stands there with a half-melted jar containing the ashes of nine-hundred and thirty-two cranes.

Logan’s jaw clenches and he can’t stop the tears forming in his eyes.

“I–I’m sorry!” Roman stutters, “I saw the jar was getting to small to hold your paper cranes and so I was going to surprise you with a bigger and better jar but then the–”

“It’s alright,” Logan breaks in, his voice unusually calm.

He wipes away his tears like they’re nothing, and presses a smile on his face. Stay calm. stay calm. stay calm. His inner mantra screamed.

“I–I understand you were only trying to help me.” His voice starts to tremor, and he knows the facade won’t last much longer.

“I’m so sorry–”

“I must go.” Logan states abruptly.

He runs to his room, and isn’t until the door is closed when he finally collapses onto the floor, sobbing.

It takes himself an hour to see the ridiculousness of his breakdown. There’s no sense in crying over spilled milk. There’s a reason he doesn’t indulge in frivolous fantasies and it’s because of things like this that destroy him.

No, it’s not Roman’s fault that the jar is broken. It’s the hammer of reality crashing down on Logan, reminding him of his foolishness. He isn’t allowed to make wishes because that is illogical and it stands against everything he represents.

Perhaps it’s some cosmic force seeking to make sure he remains in balance for Thomas’ sake. After all, if he slips up, it’s at the expense of everyone else and he can’t afford that. He cannot afford to be emotional over the loss of paper folded to crudely resemble a bird.

He doesn’t even make it into his bed. He’s certain that he had fallen asleep at one point on the floor, but he wakes up feeling just as drained as before. Perhaps it’s a part of his punishment.

‘Cognitive distortion,’ A thought reprimands him.

He glances at the clock and the time jostles him out of his thoughts. He can’t believe how late it is. Not yet noon, thankfully, but close to it.

Logan stumbles towards the kitchen with the smell of coffee wavering in the air and murmured voices.

As he rounds the corner, he freezes. Roman, Patton and Virgil are all gathered at the table, their backs facing Logan. Colorful construction paper and empty energy drink cans are spewed all over the table and on the floor. Patton clutches a coffee mug with bandaged hands. He can catch a glimpse of a round structure at Virgil’s side, largely obscured from Logan’s view.

“Are you sure?” Roman demands, as he rubs his eyes.

“Yes. I double-checked it, twice.” Virgil snaps.

“Roman, you know how careful Virgil is! I’m sure he’s got the right number!” Patton says, with a bit more forced cheer than usual.

“I’m sorry for doubting you, Virgil, I just–” Roman catches Logan’s gaze and bolts out of his chair, “Logan!”

The other two jump up, and Virgil blocks the round object completely from Logan’s view. The pieces start clicking into place and Logan’s heart starts pounding.

“Good morning,” Logan says, finding it suddenly very hard to speak.

Roman nods towards Virgil, who picks up the jar and presents it to Logan. It’s a blue glass cylinder jar teeming with paper cranes of every color imaginable. Logan picks up a paper crane from the jar, a purple one marked #988 on the corner of its tail.

“You all did this?” He asks, his voice not at all calm as it should be.

“Yes! I wanted to make up for what happened, and I thought the best way to do that would be to remake them for you–”

“Virgil and I helped!” Patton interjects and Roman nods in affirmation.

“We all sat down at the table last night, only we didn’t know how many you paper cranes you already created so then Virgil had the brilliant idea–” Roman gestures for other’s input.

“So I suggested we should make a thousand just to be safe.” Virgil shyly admits.

“Right! So we decided we wouldn’t leave this room until we reached a thousand cranes and so we have! Virgil checked, but you can check for yourself–” Roman pauses, “Logan, are–are you okay? Do you…do you not like it?”

Logan sets the jar on the table. He shakily removes his glasses and wipes away the tears running down his eyes in streams.

“Roman, I’m not crying because I’m..upset. T-tears aren’t just for when you’re upset. Tears are your body’s way of restoring your emotional equilibrium, when you’re…overwhelmed. Essentially what I’m trying to say,” He draws a breath, “is that I like it, a lot.”

“Almost as much as Crofter’s?” Patton teases.

“Nothing tops Crofter’s.”

“We did it, our nerd is back.” Roman remarks to the other two and they laugh.

“Wh-what?” Logan splutters, but he can’t help the smirk creeping up on his face.

Logan doesn’t know who initiates the group hug–but somehow they end up on a heap on the kitchen floor, soaking in each other’s warmth. In doesn’t take long for the other three to nod off in exhaustion, safe in the security of each others’ arms.

They stayed up all night just to make a thousand paper cranes for Logan. They chose to forego sleep because they couldn’t bear seeing him unhappy for too long. It’s so irrational and he wants to lecture them for abandoning sleep so frivolously.

However, he feels a bit of their irrationality stir up inside him. Maybe it’s contagious. Logan ought to be worried about getting contaminated by icky emotions and yet…

He doesn’t mind the feeling of contentment stir through him. It isn’t a bad thing, is it? After all, it’s vital for mental health to maintain healthy relationships with others. How can he perform at his best if he doesn’t have the support of the others backing him up?

Logan laughed bemusedly to himself.

“I guess I got the good luck I wanted…I got you guys.”


	2. Alternate Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> @wisepuma23 on Tumblr suggested "A more sad ending is that Logan doesn’t like the jar because he wanted to make a wish out of his own work but now according to wish logic The three of them get a wish and he doesn’t. Because he didn’t make a 1000. All of that hard work over time is now gone."
> 
> Which caused me to want to turn their sad ending into a happy one ;)

“Do you…do you not like it?”

Logan places the jar on the table, hands shaking. He looks up at the three’s hopeful gazes. He looks at their drooping figures and hands littered with paper cuts. He looks at them and swallows a lump in his throat.

“I understand where you three are coming from…but I can’t accept this gift.”

“Wh-wha–why not?” Roman sputters, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

Logan shuts his eyes, letting out one controlled breath. He should just accept the gift, for the benefit of the others’ feelings, but Logan has never been the coddling type. He is the voice of reason. He states the truth even when it’s painful.

“I’ve studied wishes before I conducted my experiment,” He fiddles with his glasses, “There’s…rules to wishes. Only the person who makes a thousand cranes gets to make the wish. I can’t accept the cranes, because the wishes belong to you three. That’s the whole reason why I wanted to–”

“Then I wish to give you my wish to you!” Roman declares.

“Wha–” Logan blinks, “You…can’t do that.”

“Logan, I’m Creativity. Thomas’ fanciful side! I know all there is hopes and dreams and wishes. There’s only three rules to wishes. You can’t wish to kill people, you can’t wish people to fall in love, and you can’t wish to bring the dead back to living. There’s nothing about not being allowed to bestow your wish to someone else. So can you please just take my wish, okay?!”

Roman huffs, running his hand through his hair.

Logan purses his lips. He recognizes the unsubtle reference to Aladdin, and yet Roman’s right. There’s nothing that directly states he can’t wish his wish to someone else. He could always count on Roman to think of a  _creative_  solution.

Logan smirks.

“I suppose I can’t argue with that  _logic_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm curious; which ending do you guys like best? I honestly love them both equally ^^'


End file.
